4 Apr 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

6.0°C > 9.0°C: Mostly cloudy with some very light drizzle later. A very few sunny intervals. Calm start with moderate southerly wind developing ahead of storm Dave. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:38 BST

* = a species photographed today
$ = a new species for me in this area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:35 – 07:05 // 08:05 – 09:45

(79th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- as I was walking toward The Flash a trio of Mute Swans (two adults and a first year) flew low West overhead. Talking to the fishermen both here and at The Flash it seems these birds merely flew over and did not annoy either resident pair.
- the Great (White) Egret arrived at 06:06 ahead of everything.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- no geese
- 3 Mute Swans: two adults and a first year flew West
- no gulls
- 1 Stock Dove
- 10 Wood Pigeons
- 117 Jackdaws
- 8 Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
- 9 Canada Geese at various times with coming and going
- 2 Greylag Geese: throughout
- 2 Mute Swans
- 15 (13♂) Mallard
- 14 (11♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens still
- 24 Coots
- *5 Great Crested Grebes
- no gulls
- no Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Great (White) Egret

Hirundines etc. noted:

None

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- no Willow Warbler
- 18 (16) Chiffchaffs
- 8 (7) Blackcaps

On the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:

Moths:
- *1 Agonopterix sp., probably Brindled Brown A. arenella [was Brindled Flat-body]
- *1 Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla
- *1 Clouded Drab Orthosia inserta

Flies etc.:
- 1 male plumed midge Chironomus plumosus
- *1 mosquito Culex pipiens
- *1 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.
- several small midges

Springtails:
- 1 springtail Orchesella cincta

Beetles:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
- *1 unidentified ground-beetle

Arthropod:
- *1 Blunt-tailed Snake Millipede Cylindroiulus punctatus

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius [Bridge Orbweaver]

Of note around the area later:

Bees, wasps etc.:
- 1 Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris

Flies:
- *1 $ dagger fly Rhamphomyia subcinerascens

Fungus:
- *1 probable Common Inkcap Coprinopsis atramentaria

Plants:
- *Green Alkanet Pentaglottis sempervirens

Very little colour to the dawn sky. The shapes on the water in the foreground are Tufted Duck.

One of the pair of Great Crested Grebes seems to be amazed at the angle the other has twisted it head.

I know about glasshouses and stones but it really does look in need of a good comb!

Three moths on the street lamp poles this morning: the curled antennae on this micromoth indicate it is an Agonopterix species, probably Brindled Brown A. arenella, formerly called Brindled Flat-body. I'll check with the Shropshire recorder.

This is a Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla: not new for the year here.

A Clouded Drab moth Orthosia inserta. A very common species though as with most moths in the Noctuid group (moths that broadly look like this at rest with wings held tent-wise) they usually are attracted to light in the first part of the night and later hide away.

The long antennae on this fly suggest it is a female mosquito Culex pipiens. A male would have extensive plumes on the antennae. The female should have a proboscis: it is hard to be sure. Perhaps I am wrong!

I believe this to be the dagger fly Rhamphomyia subcinerascens. This is a Spring species and one that I have not identified previously. The main identification feature, other than the date, is the extensive hairs on the front and back legs. The "dagger" mouth-part is being held pointing down.

This is a winter cranefly from the genus Trichocera sp. It is not the most common (and the only easily identifiable) species T. regelationis as it lack a dark spot in the wings.

An unidentified ground-beetle: there are hundreds of species in the UK. Very few can be identified from photos and most only by detailed examination with a hand lens (and then you have to know what you are looking for).

A Blunt-tailed Snake Millipede Cylindroiulus punctatus with a banded brown body.

A Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius. A species that has not been seen as often as usual this winter-period.

This fungus looks very reminiscent of a decaying Shaggy Inkcap or Lawyer's Wig Coprinus comatus: which is very unlikely as this date. I think it is Common Inkcap Coprinopsis atramentaria, a species recorded between Spring to Autumn. Although edible it, like many other species of fungus, causes a very bad reaction when alcohol is also consumed, even several days later.

I photographed my first Green Alkanet Pentaglottis sempervirens of the year in Woodhouse Lane yesterday. This one was in flower at the lake today.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Flies
- 2 unidentified midges

Nothing else noted

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 07:10 – 08:00

(77th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- fewer Tufted Duck noted. Perhaps with more fishermen around some of them had moved to the Balancing Lake where there were more. With the sailing club active there today perhaps some will move back.
- both Willow Warblers were singing very intermittently. If others were doing the same I could easily have walked past them without knowing they were there.
- no Siskins seen or heard today.

One I will have to let pass. While using the Merlin app to confirm I was hearing a Blackcap singing in the distance it reported a Marsh Tit. There were several Coal Tits in the area, as there had been when I heard and saw a Marsh Tit on 30 March. I could not hear or see one today.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese: a pair flew North
- 7 Wood Pigeons flew high North together

Noted on / around the water:
- 19 Canada Geese: of these a pair departed
- 10 Greylag Geese: of these a sextet and a pair departed
- 2 Mute Swans
- 26 (23♂) Mallard
- no (Common) Teal
- 14 (11♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 22 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 2 (2) Willow Warblers
- 6 (6) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (2) Blackcaps

Of note around the area:

Flies:
- male and female plumed midges Chironomus plumosus

(Ed Wilson)

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2014
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
3 Cormorants
1 Grey Heron
3 Greylag Geese
5 Common Teal
4 Wigeon
31 Tufted Duck
1 Kittiwake
c.12 Sand Martins
2 Swallow
3 Blackcaps
6 Chiffchaffs
2 Willow Warblers
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
2 Great Crested Grebes
1 Shoveler
43 Tufted Ducks
2 Blackcap
4 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
4 Great Crested Grebes
23 Tufted Ducks
1 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
Red-legged Partridge
4 Skylarks
6 Meadow Pipits
1 Blackcap
3 Chiffchaffs
1 Willow Warbler
1 Linnet
2 Yellowhammer
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Little Grebes
5 Great Crested Grebe
2 Gadwall
13 Tufted Ducks
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
Cackling Goose
(JW Reeves)

Leegomery
Woodcock
(JW Reeves)

Long Lane, Wellington
1 Redshank
(JW Reeves)

2012
Priorslee Lake
2 Swallows
20 Sand Martins
2 Meadow Pipits
(Martin Grant)

2009
Priorslee Lake
4 Shoveler
2 Sand Martin
(John Isherwood)

The Flash
2 Shoveler
1 Snipe
1 Willow Warbler

Nedge Hill
1 Wheatear
1 Blackcap
(John Isherwood)

2008
Nedge Hill
Whinchat
(Paul King)

2007
Priorslee Lake
1 Teal
(John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
6 Great Crested Grebes
2 Herons
6 Tufted Ducks
2 Ruddy Ducks
318 Jackdaws
105 Wood Pigeons
1 Skylark
5 Meadow Pipits
22 Wrens
24 Robins
25 Blackbirds
58 Fieldfares
3 Willow Warblers
6 Chiffchaffs
2 Willow Tits
15 Greenfinches
1 Siskin
2 Redpolls
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)